Monday, November 19, 2012

8th Annual Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers

The holiday season is here, and so is the annual ReidMyBlog Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers. Once again, I've scoured the highways and byways of the Internet to find the best gift ideas for the lawyer(s) in your life. Practical, fun, and unique are the keys to making this guide, and great care is taken to avoid those trite items with the Scales of Justice slapped on!

I hope you enjoy the guide and find it useful. Feel free to share with your family, friends and colleagues. Share on Facebook if you like it! And if you don't see anything of interest, there may be an item or two from past guides in years gone by that may catch your eye.

For the last several years, the lead item in this guide has been an Apple product, often an iPhone or iPad, so why
change tradition? The Apple TV is a small device that provides the wireless link to play music, photos and videos from your iPad/iPod on your big screen TV. It is also a gateway to Netflix, HuluPlus, YouTube, etc. on your TV. $99 from Apple or Amazon.

Most lawyer-themed gifts are poorly thought out and executed, but not the Approach the Bench chess set! Created by Jim Mellis to honor his father, a lawyer, who taught him to play, this is truly a remarkable gift that any lawyer would love to own and display at home or in the office. Kudos to Jim for raising the bar in more ways than one. From Amazon or ApproachtheBench.

Bring back some great memories by giving your lawyer an authentic ticket from a favorite concert from
years gone by. LookatStubs has tickets and ticket stubs from concerts all over North America during the past 45 years searchable by performer, date, and location.

Bose Video Wave II is a HDTV with built-in cinematic sound that is nothing short of spectacular. The sound system--including the subwoofer that usually sits on the floor--fits compactly into the flat-screen TV. No separate speakers or wiring needed. I watched. I listened. I drooled. The sound seems to be coming from all directions in the room, yet it is all contained in the flat screen TV. The Bose Video Wave II comes in 46-inch and 55-inch editions.

Big box stores are the worst place to find covers for your iPad or other tablet.
Head to Etsy.com--an artisan marketplace that has unique merchandise primarily from individual artists and craftsmen--to see, among other things, a great selection of handmade covers including this custom leather sleeve that now protects my iPad.

I do a good bit of traveling, so when brothers Lee and Sean Renshaw contacted me last summer about their new company's line of mobile organization gear it definitely caught my eye. Common duffle luggage allows your clothes and accessories to get wrinkled and disorganized quickly. Their innovative Rise & Hang shelf system makes packing easier, reduces wrinkled garments, and provides a way to separate clean and dirty laundry. The Weekender duffle holds 50 pounds or about 12-13 lbs per shelf. Free shipping. I love innovation!

Any of the One Hour productivity books from the American Bar Association make
terrific gifts for any lawyer short on time yet striving to be even more successful! Practical and well-written, these books will be appreciated by any lawyer who receives one.

Yes, this scores high on the geek meter, but the Star Trek door chime is the perfect gift for that sci-fi loving lawyer in your life. A motion sensor alerts you to visitors by playing various Star Trek sound effects. Place outside your office door and let the fun begin.

For home or office, few lawyers can resist this handcrafted vintage computer monitor, mouse, and wireless keyboard that will set them apart from their professional brethren. Rich in wood, brass, and tradition, the 20-inch monitor, keyboard and mouse are
compatible either PCs or Macs. Limited edition. (This Etsy craftsman also makes other cool stands for iPads, etc.)

The Leap is a small candy bar-sized motion detector you plug into your computer to precisely interact with and control your laptop or desktop computer. The Leap
senses your individual hand and finger movements independently, as well as items like a pen. In fact, it’s 200x more sensitive than existing touch-free products and technologies. It’s the difference between sensing an arm swiping through the air and being able to create a precise digital signature with a fingertip or pen. Available for now for pre-order ($70.00) but ships in early 2013.

The AppTag Laser Blaster is the perfect impromptu diversion when your litigation team is burning the
midnight oil. Download the app and add your iPhone, iPod or Android phone (with camera) to the AppTag infrared gun grip unit, then let the hallway battles begin! Uses wi-fi to connect all players to keep score and more! Blasters run about $60.

Recommended by personal trainers (including mine), fitness rollers are the newest tool to keep fit and flexible. Roll your body over this hard foam roller to stretch and massage muscles. A wonderful stress relieving tool for any hardworking lawyer.You won't believe how good you'll feel! About $25.

BackBeat Go wireless stereo ear buds bring you the best of wired earbuds and wireless single ear headsets. Listen to music in stereo, talk on your phone, and control your device on this high quality rechargeable ear buds. About $50 from Plantronics.

It won't surprise many people that more than a few lawyers are wannabe rock stars. And while they may lack the music skills, they can still look the part in vintage t-shirts made famous by rock stars such as John Lennon,Kurt Cobain, Joan Jett, Roger Daltrey, and faithfully reproduced by WornFree.

Dick Clark once said "Music is the soundtrack of your life." So why not make it easy on yourself and give your lawyer a music gift card for iTunes, Amazon MP3, or Spotify Premium.

Definitely a gift for spouses or significant others, YourNovel.com creates and prints
personalized romance novels that can either be "mild" or "wild" to your choosing. Select from 29 titles, plots (detective, historical, vampire, etc.) and locations (South Seas, ski resort, Rome, etc.), and each adventure includes 27 details about the starring couple, provided via an online questionnaire. Paperbacks run about 150-200 pages, and start at $39.95; ebooks start at $14.95. I'd share a snippet from our book, but my wife says I can't!

Stocking stuffer alert: Who couldn't use a friendly reminder once in a while, so try these handy sticky notes that attach to your wrist like a
wristwatch.

In past years I've recommended candy--in the form of caffeinated marshmallows--
and bacon--in the form of vodka and jam--but this is the first time I've suggested bacon candy. Dark chocolate-covered bacon to be exact. Oh, yeah, it is THAT good!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! And may 2013 be the best yet for you and your favorite lawyer!